Our review
Is the United Club℠ Infinite Card worth it?
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is worth it for frequent flyers who tend to choose United Airlines over any other provider. It may be less interesting for individuals who don’t travel often or who don’t necessarily swear by United Airlines.
In a world filled with credit cards, this United credit card is a standout because of its singular focus on United customers and related rewards. With a hefty helping of bonus miles for new members and other perks geared toward travelers, anyone who flies with United often and likes the VIP treatment (especially lounge access) will likely think the card is well worth the investment.
If you only travel on United a couple of times per year and you aren’t concerned about hanging out in the airline’s lounge pre-flight, the cost of the card and lack of variety in terms of rewards probably means this card isn’t best suited for your needs. If you tend to fly with another airline or are just looking for a less restrictive card, another airline card may be a better option.
United Club℠ Infinite: Highlights
- United Club Infinite has a $525 annual fee.
- New cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 80,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months after opening their account.
- With the United Infinite, you can earn 4X miles per dollar spent on United purchases, earn 2X miles per dollar on other travel and dining purchases and earn 1X miles on all other purchases
- United Club access is worth $650/year, and the United Club Infinite card comes with a complimentary membership.
- Cardholders can enjoy free checked bags, complimentary ticket upgrades, 25% in-flight discounts, and more.
- This is a metal credit card, so it’s sturdier and feels more luxurious than many other options.
- While this card is full of benefits, the high annual fee may be difficult to justify for infrequent travelers.
Who is the United Club Infinite card best for?
The United Club Infinite Card is best for individuals who frequently fly with United Airlines and enjoy the convenience of airport lounge access during their layovers. It would be ideal for the consumer who can also maximize perks like free checked bags, ticket upgrades, and in-flight discounts.
Rewards
Welcome offer
New cardholders can earn 80,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months after opening their account. United miles are worth about 1.2 cents apiece, so this offer is worth approximately $960.
▶︎ See more: Best credit card sign-up bonuses
Earning miles
With the United Club Infinite Card, you can earn:
- 4X miles on United purchases, such as airfare or in-flight purchases
- 2X miles on other travel purchases, dining, and eligible delivery services
- 1X miles on all other purchases
Redeeming miles
The best way to use up your miles is to trade them in for discounted or free flights from United or its Alliance partners. Additionally, United cards are a part of the Chase Pay Yourself Back program, which provides even more redemption options.
You can also redeem miles for:
- Seating upgrades
- Hotel reservations
- Retail purchases
- Gift cards
- Travel experiences
The miles you earn with this rewards card do not expire as long as the card remains active.
How much are United Miles worth?
United Miles are worth about 1.2 cents apiece, so anything worth less than that is not ideal.
To determine whether you’re getting a good value when redeeming your miles for flights, you can take the cash value of the ticket, subtract the amount of taxes they want to charge you if you’d be paying with miles, and divide that by the number of miles required for the flight.
For example, if it says a ticket costs either $140 or 18,000 miles + $14 in fees, here’s how much that would be worth:
($140 - $14) / 18,000 = .007, or 0.7 cents per mile.
This would not be a good use of your miles, since they’d be worth less than 1.2 cents each.
Now, if that same ticket costs either $140 or 8,000 miles + $14 in fees:
($140 - $14) / 8,000 = .01575, or roughly 1.6 cents per mile.
This would be a very good use of your miles since they’d be worth more than the 1.2-cent standard valuation.
Benefits
United benefits
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United Club airport lounge access. One of the biggest benefits is access to the United Club airport lounge, which services members flying on United as well as United Express and Star Alliance partner airlines. Entry is complimentary for the primary cardholder and eligible travel companions, which United limits to two adults or one adult and any dependents under the age of 21. The lounge offers amenities like free drinks and food, high-speed Wi-Fi and private phone booths. Lounge access without a card costs $650 or 85,000 miles per year.
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Free checked bags. United Club Infinite cardholders can check their first and second bags free— a savings of up to $360 per round trip.
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Premier Access®. Sign up for a card and you get automatic Premier access, a benefit that pushes you toward the front of the line for things like initial check-in, TSA screening (depending on availability), actual boarding and baggage handling.
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Premier upgrades. United MileagePlus Premier Elite members get complimentary upgrades for themselves and a companion, enjoying premium seating at the price of a lower/economy ticket (availability may differ depending on the travel destination and specific flight).
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Premier Qualifying Points (PQP). Trying to get to the next level of elite status? Use your United Club Infinite Card and get 25 PQP for every $500 you spend on eligible purchases. This perk maxes out at 10,000 PQP per year.
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25% discount in-flight purchases. Make in-flight purchases, including drinks, snacks or Wi-Fi, and you’ll get 25% back as a credit that appears on your next United card statement. The initial purchase must also be made using the card.
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Saver award discounts. Cardholders get a 10% discount on mileage requirements once you sign in through your MileagePlus account. For example, a flight advertised as redeemable for 8,200 points would only be 7,380 points after your 10% reduction.
Other travel benefits
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IHG Rewards Club Platinum status. United Club Infinite enrollment comes with complimentary Platinum status from IHG Hotel’s Rewards Club program. You’ll receive a $75 end-of-year statement credit applied to any IHG purchases made using your United Card that calendar year. With this hotel credit card, you’re also in line for Platinum perks, such as complimentary room upgrades, bonus points on stays and late checkouts.
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CLEAR membership discount. Another membership discount comes in the form of $40 off for CLEAR, a program that allows you to skip security lines in favor of verifying your identity through fingerprint scanning and facial recognition software at a CLEAR kiosk. This drops the annual cost of $189 per member to just $149.
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Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit. Many frequent flyers have already signed up for NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, but if you haven’t, you can get a refund of your application fee (up to $120 max) once every four years.
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Avis President’s Club. Interested in renting a car while you travel? Your United Club card gives you access to the Avis President’s Club and associated perks like car upgrades, guaranteed car availability and expedited rental service.
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Visa Infinite concierge. Get help with your travel plans, sports ticket purchases and restaurant reservations courtesy of the Visa Infinite concierge, available 24/7 on this Visa credit card.
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Chase Luxury Hotel and Resort collection. Use your card to make accommodation reservations and get complimentary benefits like daily breakfast, free Wi-Fi, early check-in, extended checkout and room upgrades at more than 1,000 luxury properties.
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No foreign transaction fees. This no-foreign-transaction fee card is a perfect card for international travel since it won’t rack up additional fees on your purchases abroad.
▶︎ See our picks: Best credit cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Travel insurance
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Trip delay coverage. Get up to $500 back per ticket if your trip is delayed by more than 12 hours or requires an unexpected overnight stay.
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Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Get up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip back for prepaid, non-refundable expenses in the event your trip is canceled or interrupted.
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Primary rental car insurance. Decline the pricey insurance offered by car rental companies and instead enjoy comprehensive theft and collision coverage for rentals in the United States and abroad.
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Baggage delay insurance. If your baggage is delayed for more than six hours after landing, you can get as much as $300 per day for a maximum of three days to pay for essentials like clothes and toiletries.
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Lost luggage reimbursement. Lost luggage is reimbursable at a rate of up to $3,000 per person.
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Emergency evacuation insurance. Get a free trip home for you or a family member who is hurt or otherwise becomes incapacitated during a United-covered trip (this applies to medical services as well as transportation).
▶︎ Learn more: Chase travel insurance
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Purchase protection. Shop with your United Club Infinite Card and enjoy purchase protection against damage or theft of your purchase for 120 days after you buy an item. Reimbursement is limited to $10,000 for each claim and a maximum of $50,000 per account each year.
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Return protection. Covers $500 and $1,000 per year for items you want to return within 90 days of purchase that the store won’t accept.
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Extended warranty. Extend U.S. manufacturer warranties of three years or less by an additional year.
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DoorDash DashPass membership. Order in for less with a complimentary year’s membership to DoorDash’s DashPass program. You’ll enjoy no delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders from restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores, and exclusive offers from featured merchants.
The fine print
Fees
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Annual fee: $525, but it includes United Club membership (normally $650 annually)
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Balance transfer fee: $5 or 5% of the total amount transferred, whichever is greater
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Cash advance fee: $10 or 5% of the total advance amount, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee: $0
Interest rates
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Regular APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
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Purchase Intro APR: N/A
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Balance Transfer APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
Credit limit
The minimum credit limit for the United Club Infinite Card is $15,000. Card eligibility and individual-specific credit limits are determined by evaluating your credit history, credit score and debt-to-income ratio.
Drawbacks
High annual fee
At $525 per year, the United Club℠ Infinite’s annual fee can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. It’s not a small price to pay so it takes careful consideration to figure out if it’s worth it. The primary benefit of this card is complimentary United Club lounge access, worth over $600 per year alone. If that can be utilized extensively, this card is easily worth the annual fee. However, if you’re a sporadic traveler, aren’t near United Clubs, or book really short (or no) layovers, this benefit may not be worth much to you. This card still holds a lot of value outside of that, but it’ll be infinitely more difficult to offset the fee if you don’t go to United Clubs.
Even if you like the idea of United Club access, it may still be difficult to justify over $500 per year for a credit card, and we can understand that.
Inflexible rewards
The rewards earned on United Club Infinite are pretty limited in their redemption options. To earn the most miles, you’ll need to book United flights. To get the most value when redeeming miles, you’ll also need to book United flights. If you like to switch up who you fly with or you’d prefer the flexibility of redeeming rewards for things like hotel stays or cash back, this card won’t be the best option for that. You can do that with this card, but your miles will have significantly more value if you redeem them for flights.
▶︎ See our picks: Best travel credit cards
How United Club℠ Infinite compares
United Club℠ Infinite Card vs. United℠ Explorer Card
The United℠ Explorer Card has a much lower annual fee of just $95 ($0 the first year), but you’ll earn fewer miles per dollar (just two per $1 versus a maximum of 4 per $1 with the Club Infinite card), and you won’t get unlimited access to United’s lounges. You will, however, get 2 free United Club passes per year so if you’re still figuring out whether this benefit is worth it, this could be a good first step into the world of United credit cards.
▶︎ Read more: United Explorer Card Review
United Club℠ Infinite Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Both cards offer similar annual fees, competitive reward point systems and perk lists, but Chase offers more flexibility in terms of how you can redeem those points versus United, which limits redemption to United products and offers from a narrow list of partners. Chase Sapphire Reserve® also gives cardholders Priority Pass Select membership, with access to 1,400 airport lounges, restaurants and minisuites in 148 countries. United’s card only delivers United Club access, but that may be preferable if you only fly United and concentrate your travel in the United States.
▶︎ Read more: Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Review
United Club℠ Infinite Card vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express carries a sky-high annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees), with another $195 fee per person required if you want to add authorized users to your account. Amex’s welcome bonus offer isn’t as good as United’s, but you can earn up to 5 points per dollar for hotels and airfare purchased through Amex travel. Other eligible purchases earn just 1 point on the dollar, which is lower than you’d get for restaurant or retail purchases with your United Club Infinite Card.
▶︎ Read more: Amex Platinum Card Review
The bottom line
Should you get the United Club℠ Infinite Card?
If you:
- Travel with United frequently enough to focus your rewards on United products
- Can utilize the United Club quite a few times per year
- Can earn enough reward points to offset the card’s hefty $525 annual fee
Then yes, the United Club℠ Infinite Card seems like it would make a worthy addition to your lineup of credit cards.
If you’re not loyal to United, won’t be traveling to airports with a United Club, or aren’t willing to pay over $500 per year for a credit card, then you may want to keep looking.
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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.
